Investigators seek leads in 1997 double homicide

Wednesday

Sep 30, 2009 at 1:40 PMJan 27, 2010 at 1:04 PM

BEATRIZ E. VALENZUELA Staff Writer

VICTORVILLE • A boy's bike may hold the key to solving a decade-old double homicide.

A truck driver making a delivery to the shopping center on Palmdale and El Evado roads made a gruesome discovery May 2, 1997. A man and woman had been riddled with bullet holes in a field behind the then-Payless drug store. Also found near the bodies was a boy's 20-inch Magna-brand bicycle.

"We believe the bike is involved in this somehow," said Assistant District Attorney John Thomas with the DA's Cold Case Team. "There could've been multiple persons involved in this, but the bike is somehow connected with this case."

And investigators are not giving up hope that they can track down the killer or killers who shot Richard Chavez, Jr., 40, and his girlfriend, Sylvia "Solario" DelaCruz, 38, to death behind the Ralph's shopping center.

"With the new technology available to us, we're hoping to be able to find new leads in this case," Thomas said.

Chavez and DelaCruz lived in the Summer Breeze apartment complex on 14900 Seneca Road with Chavez's mother, although the couple was described as transients by those who worked at the shopping center, officials said.

The couple was often seen hanging around in the field behind the Ralph's drinking with other people and panhandling, Thomas said.

It appears the couple was most likely at their hang-out drinking the night before.

"We believe they were killed some time between 10 and 11 p.m. the night before," he said, adding that residents of the Summer Breeze complex reported hearing six to seven shots fired around 10:30 p.m. the night before the couple was found.

A motive for the attack has also eluded investigators.

"We don't know if they were hanging out with a few people then got into a argument which led to the shooting," Thomas said.

But Thomas said that the bike may help lead investigators closer to solving the case.

Officials were able to learn the bike was purchased at the Target store on Palmdale Road but have not been able to track down an owner.

"Every life is important and we want to find justice for these two people and their families," Thomas said.

Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact the Victorville District Attorney's office at 243-8720.

Beatriz E. Valenzuela may be reached at 951-6276 or at BValenzuela@VVDailyPress.com.

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